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What Expats & Sovereign Citizens Do (and Don’t) Have in Common

When we ask other expats what was their biggest motivating factor for leaving the U.S., the answer is almost always the same. Freedom.

Many feel that life in the U.S. isn’t as unhindered as it once was. That there are too many restrictions, too much oversight…and don’t even get them started on the taxes.

Given those ever-tightening constraints, it’s easy to see how many U.S. citizens would finally throw up their hands and say “Enough is enough!” Many do so peaceably by moving to the Latin tropics.

The rest? Well, I’ll get to them in a minute.

sovereign society

Moyan Brenn

The unencumbered expat life.

Any given day in the U.S. might find you working in a cubicle a few feet away from your boss, having income tax (and other compulsory fees) automatically deducted from your paycheck, avoiding speed traps on your commute, and opening a letter from your homeowners’ association telling you to move your garbage can.

Not so in the tropics.

Down here things are different. You want to paint your house purple? Paint it purple. Hell, paint it with rainbow stripes. Nobody cares. What’s that? You want to drive without a seatbelt? While pulling an unregistered boat? With 14 people riding in it? Knock yourself out.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that there aren’t laws against some of these things in Latin American countries (or that some of them aren’t dangerous). It’s just that they’re often more like suggestions than actual mandates, usually because the government doesn’t have enough funds to enforce them.

Don’t try this at home.

Don’t take this to mean that you have to move to Latin America if you want to be able to live your life however you want to, not subject to anyone else’s rules. You totally can.

But there’s an unfortunate thing that happens when you tell a government official that the laws don’t apply to you.

Your name goes on the FBI’s list of top domestic terror threats. I’m not kidding.

You may think that sounds absurd. That your mere opposition to paying taxes or obeying traffic laws might make the government consider you a threat to public safety. But it’s true.

For many North Americans, what began as a mild case of “Just leave me the heck alone” has morphed into full-blown bout of “I am above the law.”

sovereign society

Moyan Brenn

What the 14th Amendment doesn’t say.

The sovereign citizen movement stems from the teachings of William P. Gale, who attempted to establish a distinction between U.S. citizens and the “original citizens of the states.” His claim (loosely derived from the 14th Amendment) is that, by not accepting any benefits from the federal government, U.S. residents are not contractually obligated to it.

“Sovereign citizens” (which, ironically, is an oxymoron) therefore claim to have a common law right to declare themselves as a nation unto themselves, not subject to the law of the land where they live, save perhaps their local county sheriff.

As a result, many voluntarily revoke their Social Security number, birth certificate, driver’s license, voter registration, etc. Some have even gone so far as to file a legal document (albeit invalid) with their local county clerk’s office, indicating they’ve renounced their citizenship.

It’s all fun and games until somebody breaks out the AK-47.

At the most basic level, sovereign citizens are people who believe the government has moved away from the fundamental principles it was built on and want to reassert those limits. Sounds harmless enough, right? Wrong.

For every garden variety sovereign citizen trying to get out of some parking tickets or a drug charge, there’s one causing some real trouble. Because, as it turns out, the same people who have little appreciation for the country’s laws have an equally low view of the people who interpret and enforce them (i.e. judges and law enforcement officers).

As a result, many so-called sovereign citizens have unfortunately resorted to violence. Some famous examples include Terry Nichols, one of the Oklahoma bombing conspirators; Joseph Kane, who shot and killed two police officers during a routine traffic stop; and Samuel Lynn Davis, who was charged with 31 counts of money laundering.

Many sovereigns who don’t resort to violence or crime employ another retribution tactic that’s referred to as “paper terrorism.” When they have an unfavorable run-in with the law, they simply file a lien against the personal assets of the political figure involved. They don’t benefit from the claim, but the judge or officer can have their credit destroyed.

sovereign society

Steve Maraspin

The sunnier alternative

If you too are a disgruntled U.S. citizen, learn what it really means to live a sovereign, boundless existence. Pledge your allegiance to your own ideals, and stop wasting time worrying about the things that don’t matter.

Experience the freedom of the Latin tropics! Where taxes are low and quality of life is high.

Foreign citizens are met with plenty of visa options, and no citizenship is required. Just make sure you haven’t surrendered your passport!

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3 thoughts on “What Expats & Sovereign Citizens Do (and Don’t) Have in Common

  1. 1

    Love this article. I learn so much from your posts!

  2. 2

    You’d be doing your USA readers a great service to mention FATCA to them re: moving permanently to live outside of the USA–> most have NO idea what they’re up for.

    http://isaacbrocksociety.ca/fatca/

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